Rust Creek (2018)

Rust Creek is a survival thriller set in the back roads and hills of Kentucky’s part of the Appalachian Mountains. A college student heading to Maryland for a job interview over Thanksgiving break, gets lost in the hills. Sure enough a couple of fellas come along and creep her out as it’s obvious they’re up to no good. Things go sideways and she takes off further into the hills to hide. The question is, will she make it out alive?

It’s difficult to get my wife to watch movies with me, but when she does, she tends to pick good ones (she is why I ended up watching and loving Eden Lake). We sat down, she picked Rust Creek and we proceeded to watch a movie that is set, pretty much, in our back yard. We both enjoyed it immensely, though it makes me question going back to visit my family members in rural South Eastern Kentucky.

This thriller, written by Julie Lipson and Stu Pollard, and directed by Jen McGowan, starts off simple enough, with a one person road trip. We see part of the actual campus for Centre College (a real college in Danville, KY) and gorgeous scenery all shot in Kentucky. Soon enough, our heroine, Sawyer (Hermione Corfield), gets lost thanks to her less than reliable GPS. That’s just the start of her problems.

This is now one of my favorite films of recent times, and it is mostly due to the fantastic supporting cast. The biggest supporting roles fall to Jay Paulson, who plays Lowell, Sean O’Bryan as Sherriff O’Doyle, and Micah Hauptman and Daniel R. Hill, as backwoods criminal brothers, Hollister and Buck. These five actors make for the most compelling characters of the film. Each one brings a crucial aspect and they execute it damn near flawlessly.

Cinematographer Michelle Lawler gives us some amazing shots and seems to have a great eye for getting those beautiful takes of the woods. I’ll be looking for more films shot by her in the future. Candi Guterres who was the Production Designer and Priyanka Guterres, who was in charge of Art Direction, also outdid themselves, as we get a real feel for rural Kentucky thanks to their work. The Makeup department had a damn good grasp on their work as well. Amazing work by Lorie Karnes who did hair and makeup, as did Allie Shehorn and Trevor Thompson, who were responsible for the Special Effects.

If you’re wanting a look at the darker side of what goes on in the back woods of kentucky, be sure to check this feature out. Amazing performances, great camera work, and awesome direction, all resulted in a film that certainly kept me glued to the screen.

Rating: 8/10.